Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 416 Visiting Ling'an (2)

When Consort Song arrived at Shujing Palace, it was as if she had returned to her own palace. The palace servants around Consort Yi treated her with respect and familiarity.

"Is An'er feeling any better today?"

While Consort Yi was busy paying her respects to Consort Chun and Consort Qi, Consort Song had already walked straight into the flower hall.

Seeing that her mistress was busy with social engagements, Yuehuan quickly stepped forward to lead the way and whispered, "Thanks to you, Consort, for inviting Physician Sun, the Second Princess is sleeping soundly right now and looks much better."

“I told you long ago that Physician Cui is a mediocre doctor. If Yi’an had called Physician Sun earlier, An’er wouldn’t have had to suffer these past few days.” Consort Song’s expression relaxed, and she spoke frankly.

Fengchi had served Consort Song since childhood. She exchanged a helpless look with Yuehuan and stepped forward to tug at Consort Song's sleeve to remind her.

Inside the bedchamber, two governesses were guarding the Second Princess's bedside. Upon seeing Consort Song enter, they quickly rose and bowed.

Song Jieyu raised her arm slightly, her voice extremely soft: "How has An'er been sleeping these past two days? Has he been crying incessantly at night?"

One of the nannies lowered her voice and reported, "Your Highness, the Second Princess has been feeling better since the day before yesterday. However, it is still cold outside, and our Lady is worried about the Princess, so she asked for leave and did not go to Cining Palace to pay her respects."

Inside the flower hall.

Consort Yi personally led Consort Chun to her seat at the head of the table and ordered someone to serve her freshly brewed Biluochun tea. Turning to Meng Shu, she said gently, "Consort Jin is currently pregnant and should not drink tea. Why don't you try the ginger and brown sugar drink I had made?"

As he spoke, he gestured for a palace maid to present a gilded celadon cup to Meng Shu.

Meng Shu nodded slightly and smiled gently, "Sister Xiuyuan, you're so kind."

Consort Chun looked at Yixiu Yuan with a hint of approval when she saw that Yixiu Yuan could be so meticulous and thoughtful.

A faint scent of sandalwood wafted through the flower hall, quite different from the sweet and warm aroma of the incense cakes that Consort Yi Xiu usually favored. As Meng Shu was pondering this, she heard Consort Qi speak up: "Is the Second Princess's illness any better? We came here because we were worried and wanted to check on her."

Upon hearing this, Consort Yi paused slightly in her teacup, then said, "An'er has caught a cold and is not yet fully recovered. Consort Qi also has to take care of the eldest princess. What will happen if she recovers from the illness?"

These words were so well-chosen that Qi Zhaorong had no choice but to give up and change the subject.

The two of them are the only ones in the palace who have given birth to children, and the two little princesses are born only a month apart, so they get along quite well when it comes to raising children.

Consort Chun sat quietly to the side, glancing at Meng Shu from time to time, wondering why Meng Shu insisted on coming over.

As they were talking, Mengzhu came over carrying two sandalwood boxes wrapped in brocade. She had just been instructed by Consort Chun to fetch two kinds of nourishing medicinal herbs. Upon seeing this, Consort Yixiu quickly stood up, had Yuehuan accept the boxes, and bowed to Consort Chun to express her gratitude.

With a soft rustling of the beaded curtain, Consort Song emerged from the inner palace, a hint of relief in her eyes: "An'er is finally more settled; she's sleeping soundly right now."

Upon hearing this, Consort Qi said, "That's good. Speaking of which, the osmanthus sachets that the Imperial Hospital recently made are quite nice. I had someone hang them in Afu's warm room, and he's been sleeping soundly these past few nights."

Meng Shu continued, "Sun-dried osmanthus flowers can dispel foul odors and detoxify, calm the mind and soothe the stomach, making them perfect for use when a baby cries at night. Other spices are either too strong or too dry, so they must be carefully considered to avoid harming the baby's pure yang energy."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yi Xiuyuan lowered her eyes, her fingertips curling slightly as she lightly brushed against the edge of her sleeve, making a soft rustling sound.

Consort Song suddenly sniffed the air. "Was sandalwood incense burned in Yi'an Palace?" She turned to Consort Yi and said solemnly, "Consort Jin is right. From now on, you should consult with Physician Sun on all matters. Do not be careless."

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun put down her teacup. "What is it, Imperial Physician Sun? I remember that it was Imperial Physician Cui who was taking care of Consort Yi's pregnancy before?"

Consort Song snorted, but ultimately refrained from directly criticizing Physician Cui out of consideration for the Empress.

Yi Xiuyuan forced a smile and replied, "Imperial Physician Sun is more skilled in treating infant diseases. He has been treating An'er these past two days."

Meng Shu looked around and noticed that not only was Yi Xiuyuan's expression unusual, but the entire hall exuded an inexplicable strangeness. Recalling Qu Baolin's strange behavior a few days ago, she felt that something was about to happen.

Qi Zhaorong was completely unaware of what was happening. She took a sip of tea and said gently, "Imperial Physician Sun is a highly skilled physician. His family has been imperial physicians for two generations. He is most skilled in treating children. With him taking care of the Second Princess, you can rest assured, sister."

Seeing that it was getting late, Consort Chun got up first, and Meng Shu and Consort Qi followed her out of Shujing Palace. Consort Song saw them off to the outside of the palace, but she did not intend to leave.

After leaving Shujing Palace, Consort Qi curtsied to Consort Chun, saying, "I will take Afu to pay my respects to Your Highness another day. It's been quite a while since I came out, so I should head back now."

Consort Chun nodded slightly, "Come again when the weather is warmer, and be careful not to let Afu catch a cold."

After Consort Qi left, she and Meng Shu walked towards Lingcui Palace. Once they returned to Cuiyu Hall, she asked, "Shu'er, is there anything amiss with Consort Yi?"

Meng Shu leaned against the autumn-colored brocade pillow and gently shook her head upon hearing this. "We can't see any clues yet, but even if there are, it shouldn't concern us."

But in this palace, even the slightest disturbance must be taken to heart.

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun relaxed slightly and turned to Ruizhu, who was standing beside her, saying, "You and Xiao Nianzi should keep a close eye on what's happening in Shujing Palace."

Then she turned to Meng Shu and said, "Don't worry about it. I can see that the Empress Dowager attaches great importance to this pregnancy of yours. Are Granny Zhao and the others doing their best?"

Green Willow entered carrying a tea tray and softly replied, "The three Zhao nannies sent by the Empress Dowager have all settled in the side hall. They take excellent care of Her Majesty's daily life."

She gently placed the teacup on the table and added, "...I've been observing them for a few days, and they're all honest people. This morning, Her Majesty instructed me to reward them."

"Granny Zhao is an old hand in the palace, with a clean background. Keeping her around to take care of Shu'er is quite appropriate..."

Before she could finish speaking, Consort Chun caught a glimpse of two scrolls on a sandalwood desk beside her.

Curious, she got up, moved to the table, picked up a scroll, and it happened to unfold to reveal the portrait.

"His Majesty's painting skills are truly superb..."

Consort Chun gently stroked the ink marks on the painting with her fingertips, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

She turned the scroll towards the window, allowing the sunlight to better outline the figures in the painting. "You all come and take a look too, it truly captures the essence of Shu'er."

Upon hearing this, Mengzhu and Ruizhu gathered around to take a closer look.

Ruizhu blinked and said, "Although I don't know anything about painting, this one looks even more lifelike than Master Lin's painting."

Consort Chun smiled and said, "Although Master Lin is also skilled in figure painting, he can only capture the form. Your Majesty's painting, however, captures even the spirit, which must have taken real effort."

Green Willow had been secretly annoyed that she hadn't put the scroll away sooner, but now, glancing at Consort Chun's expression, she saw that her eyes were clear and that she only appreciated the painting. Only then did her heart relax a little.

As for Meng Shu, even with her thick skin, a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face. She gently stood up, holding onto Green Willow's arm, and said softly, "If Master Lin heard what Wan'er said, he would probably be heartbroken."

Consort Chun gestured for Mengzhu and Ruizhu to hold the scroll up to Meng Shu's side for comparison. Upon hearing this, she chuckled and said, "Master Lin has gone to Qingxu Taoist Temple and has devoted himself to the Tao for the past two years. He must have already attained great freedom by now, so he won't care about what I say."

Consort Chun and Meng Shu only learned upon arriving in the capital that Master Lin and Princess Yongping were close friends. After the last poetry gathering, Master Lin declined the princess and Lady Yun's invitations to stay, and instead, carrying only a zither and a box of books, rode alone to Dingzhou Zhongshan Prefecture.

The two chatted for a while about Master Lin's old stories. Sunlight streamed in through the gauze window, casting dappled light on Meng Shu's face.

Consort Chun suddenly frowned, her fingertips gently stroking her cheek: "No wonder I always felt something was wrong—Shu'er, you're pregnant, how come your face is even thinner than it was a few months ago?"